The miners would end up spending 69 days below the Earth's surface before rescuers brought them all to safety. As everyone celebrated the rescue of the 33 miners, many pointed to a higher power -- a 34th miner -- who they say was with them all along.

In the aftermath of the rescue, those involved have recounted seemingly inexplicable miracles during their time underground and credited God with protecting them. God, many of them say, was the 34th miner.

A comforting presence

Jorge Galleguillos, a miner from Copiapo, Chile, recalled making the sign of the cross in front of an image of the Virgin Mary that had been placed near the entrance to the mine. The miners asked her for protection every shift before descending into the lower levels of the mine.

The day of the collapse, like any other day, Galleguillos paid his respects to the Virgin Mary and headed into the mine.

During this particular shift, Galleguillos said he heard warning cracks but continued working. He recalled seeing something like a "white species ... a butterfly" falling diagonally in the mine "like a paper."

It was likely a bit of white quartz, but in local culture, a white animal is a sign that God is present.

As the mine began to rumble and dust filled the air, Galleguillos said he envisioned his 6-day-old grandson in his arms and his mother standing in front of him.

"I am not going to see my mother again. I'm not going to meet my grandson," he thought.

Galleguillos said he is not particularly religious. Still, even as it seemed the worst was ahead, he said he felt God's presence.

In the five years since the mine collapse, Galleguillos said he is more thankful than ever.

Alex Vega, a second-generation miner, had been suffering from a gastric ulcer for a couple of months when the miners became trapped.

As always, he had his pills in his backpack. Three of them. He divided them into four parts each so he could take a piece each day.

The fact that there was very little food only made his symptoms worse, and at this point, they had no idea when or if they would be rescued.

The miners ate one can of tuna per day, splitting each can between the 33 of them.

"You have to have faith," Galleguillos said. "You can never lose your faith. Faith is nourishment ... Faith is life."

Faith, even without hope

Shift foreman Luis Urzua was the first person to be heard once verbal contact was made with the miners. His first words were, "We are well and hoping that you will rescue us."

Urzua said he doesn't believe in luck, but he does believe in faith -- even when it seems like there is no hope.

"The devil couldn't do anything because God was present," he said.

Urzua recounted a time in the mine when one of his colleagues became ill. The prayers of the other miners, Urzua said, healed him.

"We made a prayer, we prayed in front of him," he said. "The next day, he was better. ... He was doing better than all of us."

That power of prayer stayed with the miners throughout their time underground.

"When we prayed, we didn't pray to get rescued; we prayed for the people outside not to abandon us," he said.

It was another answered prayer.

Rescue resumes inexplicably

After weeks of drilling, the rescuers were getting closer to the miners. Then, the drill halted, just feet from reaching the miners. There was no forward or backward motion.

"It's like, did we come this far and go through all this? And this damn thing is stuck here," said Richard Soppe, a manager with Center Rock Inc.

Then, without any effort from the rescuers, there was a pop, and it started moving again.

Brandon Fisher, owner of Center Rock, led a team of drilling experts to help free the miners.

"I remember there was a loud bang on the backside of the control panel," Fisher said. "Everyone just kind of stopped at one point in time and looked around."

"We still don't know what that noise was," he said.

Ariel Ticona, a miner and expectant father at the time, said that when he heard the drill bit break through, he knew "that was by the hand of God that the miracle was done."

While trapped, Ticona became a father to a baby girl, Esperanza, which means hope.

Jonathan Franklin, author of "33 Men: Inside the Miraculous Survival and Dramatic Rescue of the Chilean Miners," said Esperanza's birth was a miracle because she gave hope to the miners. She gave their dream of rescue a face.

Rescuing the miners

After much preparation and prayer, the final leg of the rescue began.

Florencio Avalos was the first miner to emerge. He was pulled to the surface in a 22-inch wide capsule.

Celebrations broke out, but the rescuers and miners faced the reality that 32 more miners needed the same miracle to live.

One after the other, they were rescued.

Vega said he hugged and kissed his wife like he was never going to let her go.

Ticona met his new daughter Esperanza in the hospital.

Urzua said God saved all 33 miners for a reason, but he's been asking himself why since the rescue.

"Today, everywhere we turn, there is misery, hunger, terrible natural events," Urzua said, speculating about God's motive to rescue them. "We have to care for our environment, care for our children, so that they have a better life, we give them the best."

After the rescuers returned home, they studied the science of the rescue.

"These tools should not have been able to bend and go around some of these curves. I mean, there's no question in my mind that the faith of God, and the faith of the world praying for these guys to get rescued was a huge factor," Fisher said. "Science, know-how, and will were applied, but at the end of the day, the big guy had everything to do with this rescue being successful. I believe that wholeheartedly."

Extensive DNA analysis, backed up by previous studies, shows that the population consists of two species of genetically distinct lineage, one of which was previously unknown to scientists, according to a report published this week.

The slender, short-muzzled Eurasian golden jackal with reddish-brown fur that we've always known goes by Canis aureus. Even though they resemble Canis aureus, those found in Africa have more genetically in common with gray wolves, leading researchers to propose a new scientific name: the African golden wolf, or Canis anthus.

The discovery marks the first new canid species in Africa in 150 years, according to the Smithsonian Conservation Biology Institute. A canid is a member of Canidae, the biological family for dogs, wolves and other such mammals.

A team of researchers, led by SCBI scientist Klaus-Peter Koepfli, published its findings Thursday in Current Biology.

The team said the discovery was "surprising" given the absence of gray wolves in Africa and the difference in observable physical and biochemical characteristics between the two species.

To test the distinct-species hypothesis and understand the evolutionary history that would produce this result, researchers analyzed extensive genomic data, including mitochondrial genome sequences and whole-genome nuclear sequences, in African and Eurasian golden jackals and gray wolves.

Their research provided "consistent and robust evidence" that the African gray wolves and Eurasian golden jackals have been distinct for more than 1 million years, the report said, despite similarities in their body size and cranial structure.

President says plan is 'the biggest most important step we've ever taken to combat climate change'

The Obama administration will unveil a major climate change plan Monday aimed at a large reduction in greenhouse gas emissions from the nation's coal-burning power plants, a senior administration official told CNN.

President Barack Obama said Thursday night that he can feel some Democratic members of Congress getting "squishy" in their support of the Iran deal, bowing to the "political heat" they feel from the "fierce" lobbying campaign against the Iran deal.

The "Clean Power Plan" is the final version of regulations by the Environmental Protection Agency, which President Barack Obama called "the biggest most important step we've ever taken to combat climate change," in a video released by the White House on social media Saturday night.

The plan will call for a reduction power-sector carbon pollution of 32% from 2005 levels in 2030 -- a 9% increase over the 2014 draft proposal, the official said. It will also call for a more aggressive transition to renewable energy.

"Power plants are the single biggest source of harmful carbon pollution that contributes to climate change," Obama said in the video. "Until now, there have been no federal limits to the amount of carbon pollution plants dump in the air."

The plan, which will also include a requirement for states to submit their own respective plans, is already being met with major opposition from congressional Republicans and governors, including Wisconsin governor and presidential candidate Scott Walker.

Even before the rule was announced, many states announced plans to fight it, including some vows to take the administration to court over the new rules. Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell urged states not to comply with the plan in a letter to all 50 governors.

Critics also said that the plan will bring unwelcome increases in electricity prices.

"This plan is all pain and no gain," said Luke Popovich, vice president of communications for the National Mining Association. "That's why state leaders across the country are coming to the same conclusion -- that we should not sacrifice our power system to an unworkable plan built on a faulty interpretation of the law."

A multi-million dollar campaign backed by the energy industry has sought to debunk the science of climate change, but polls show most Americans believe the planet is warming.

Coal supplied 37% of U.S. electricity in 2012, compared to 30% from natural gas, 19% from nuclear power plants, 7% from hydropower sources such as dams and 5% from renewable sources such as wind and solar, according to the U.S. Energy Information Administration.

EPA officials have conceded in the past that some of the dirtiest power plants now operating, such as older coal-fired plants, will end up shuttered as the nation shifts its reliance from traditional fossil fuel sources to cleaner alternatives.

Expecting a tough fight, the White House will launch, what it describes as an "all-out climate push" by the President and cabinet officials to fan out to sell the plan. In the next several weeks, Obama will travel to Nevada to speak at the National Clean Energy Summit and later become the first sitting President to go to the Alaskan Arctic.

The impending battle ahead could be seen as a major legacy issue for Obama as he transitions into the last quarter of his presidency.

"There are few issues more important to the president," a senior administration official said, adding that Obama is likely to make the case that climate change is a moral, economic and national security obligation in the months ahead.

The news of the President's plan was hailed on Sunday by Democratic presidential candidates Hillary Clinton and Martin O'Malley.

"Mission: Impossible - Rogue Nation" opened to an estimated $56 million at the U.S. box office over the weekend. This total was the second-best "Mission: Impossible" opening ever, just missing out on the $57.8 million of 2000's "Mission: Impossible II."

The Paramount film starring Tom Cruise was good enough to nab the third-best U.S. opening of the star's career, coming in behind "Mission: Impossible II" and 2005's "War of the Worlds."

The spy thriller was also a hit internationally. It made $65 million abroad to bring its global total to $121 million. A good start for a film that cost Paramount $150 million.

"Tom Cruise is the very definition of movie star, but beyond that he is a tireless marketing machine," said Paul Dergarabedian, a box office analyst for Rentrak. "He has essentially written the playbook on how to manifest the perfect combination of star-power based publicity along with producer-based business acumen."

Coming in at a distant second was Warner Bros.'s "Vacation" which earned $14.8 million between Friday and Sunday.

The comedy starring Ed Helms is the fifth installment of the "Vacation" franchise. Since opening on Wednesday, it has made $21.1 million for Warner Bros. (which, like CNN, is owned by Time Warner).

Two big films about small characters, Universal's "Minions" and Marvel's "Ant-Man," battled it out for third place. The $12.6 million of "Ant-Man" just edged out the $12.1 million of "Minions."

And to round out the top five was Sony's "Pixels" with $10.4 million. Box office sales for the Adam Sandler comedy dropped 57% from last week when it took first place.

As the summer box office season nears its end with next week's "Fantastic Four," Hollywood has a lot to be happy about. The 2015 summer box office is up 12.5% overall from last year.